Michael Schlow – Executive Chef and co-owner of Boston’s Radius, Via Matta, and Great Bay restaurants – is one of the leading chefs in the United States. In 2000, he won the distinguished James Beard Award of Excellence for “Best Chef in the Northeast” in his first year of eligibility, Santé Magazine’s “Chef of the Year” and the “Culinary Award for Excellence” from Robert Mondavi, handed out to only six chefs a year. Boston Magazine has named Radius, which features modern French cuisine, “Best Restaurant” and “Best Power Lunch” in Boston. Gourmet recognized Radius as one of the “25 Best American Restaurants,” the only Boston restaurant ever to earn this distinction. Gourmet named Via Matta, which features authentic cuisine of the Italian regions of Piedmont, Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, and Campania, one of “America’s Best Restaurants” and Esquire called it one of the “Best New Restaurants in America.” Great Bay, which features sophisticated seafood, opened in 2003 and that same year was voted “Best Seafood Restaurant in Boston” by Boston Magazine. Schlow was born and spent his childhood in Brooklyn, New York, and attended high school in Somerville, New Jersey. He lives in Boston.
Ingredients (makes 6 tasting size portions)
For Fish:
6-4 oz pc of Striped Bass, Skin on or Halibut (skin removed)
3 oz canola oil
1 tablespoon of butter
1 large pinch of fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
Prep: Season fish, cook in hot oil, baste with butter in thyme
For Corn Puree:
2 cups of fresh corn
4 cups of milk
1 pinch of saffron
2 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons of chopped shallots
salt and white pepper
Prep, cook all ingredients together until corn is tender, place corn in high speed blender, puree with a little bit of the milk, adding more as needed, until smooth.
For Chanterelles:
2 cups of chanterelles
¼ cup of lardons
2 tablespoons of chopped shallots
1 pinch of fresh thyme
1 oz of evoo
1 tablespoon of butter
1 oz of high quality sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon of sliced chives
salt and pepper
Prep: Cook lardons first, remove and save. In a clean sauté pan, sauté mushrooms with shallots, evoo and butter. Add bacon, sauté, add remaining ingredients.
For Shallots:
1 shallot (sliced thin)
1 cup of red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon of beet juice
1 tablespoon of sugar
Pinch of salt
½ cup assorted micro herbs
Prep: Day before, combine shallots with all ingredients except herbs. Allow to sit overnight, remove from liquid and toss with herbs to create a “salad” for garnish
For Truffle Emulsion:
Truffle Juice
Chopped summer black truffles
White truffle oil
½ cup of crème fraiche
¼ cup unsweetened whipped cream
Teaspoon of maderia
A few drops sherry vinegar
Salt and white pepper
Prep: Combine all ingredients, taste, and adjust seasoning, place in a squeeze bottle.
